Q301--High-Throughput Sample Processing Including Tasso, Methlaytion Profiling and Bioinformatic Data Analysis and Annotation

The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded a Firm Fixed Price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract, number 36C24E26D0008, to Tempus AI, Inc. for $35,239,692.50. The contract runs from September 30, 2025, to September 29, 2030, and is managed by the Regional Procurement Office East in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This sole-source award was justified under FAR 6.102(a)(1) due to Tempus AI's unique technical capabilities and the necessity of maintaining continuity for the Million Veteran Program. The scope of work involves high-throughput molecular testing, including Tasso capillary blood collection, methylation profiling, and bioinformatic data analysis and annotation for over 1.1 million participants. Performance is centered at the Tempus AI facility in Chicago, Illinois, with strict quality standards requiring a probe pass rate greater than 98 percent, reproducibility over 99 percent, and batch variation kept below 1 percent. The government emphasizes that transitioning to a different provider would result in significant research delays and over 10,000 hours of re-validation. Technical oversight is provided by the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Research and Development and the Center for Data and Computational Science, with Renee Kale serving as the Contracting Officer.